1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of improving equilibration of enriched isotopes and tagged species and natural isotope species by using solid phase immobilization of isotopically enriched species and equilibration and simultaneous extraction, separation, and/or selection of the species of analytical interest of the isotopes of the natural and the tagged species on the solid phase and improvement of portability of IDMS and SIDMS and other methods of improving efficiency and equilibration and automation.
2. Description of Related Art
IDMS and SIDMS are based on enriched isotope equilibration with the exact species analytes to be measured. Patents describing Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry (IDMS) and Speciated Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry (SIDMS) and the use of equilibrated solutions and these patents are referenced herein—see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,414,259 and 6,790,673 B1 and 6,974,951 B1, and 5,883,349, and 5,830,417 and 7,005,635 B2, and 7,220,383 B2, Pat. pending No. US 2002/0198230 A1 disclosing methods of preparing samples for measurement and measuring chemical species present in samples, not only its bulk chemical concentration but also on-line for automation and for improved, sensitivity, accuracy and efficiency based on these methods. The disclosure of these patents is expressly incorporated herein by reference.